Sandrine Ceurstemont, editor, New Scientist TV
Doing the wave is not just a move perfected by breakdancers. Tiny worms have now been caught doing similar ripples as a means of communication, to translate sensory information into motion.
Quan Wen and colleagues from Harvard University discovered the behaviour while investigating how C. elegans worms move. Other animals, including humans, use different neurons to transmit what they sense and relay the information to muscle cells. But the team found that the worms pack both communication systems into a single type of nerve cell, which was a surprise. "This type of circuit is completely new," says Aravi Samuel, a member of the team.
The researchers made the discovery through a series of experiments. In this video, the worms demonstrate their sensing ability by changing the frequency of their wiggle depending on the viscosity of the liquid surrounding them. The clip also shows how restraining the middle of their body can interrupt the transmission of a message, immobilising the tail while the head continues to wiggle. In a third test, worms genetically-engineered to contain a light-sensitive protein are locked in place when hit by a laser, since the blast deactivates neurons controlling movement.
The experiments show that a worm's head doesn't need to tell every other body segment what to do. Using a feedback mechanism, a message is transmitted through the body in a chain reaction as the wave moves from head to tail.
If you enjoyed this video, watch how a magnet can make a worm change direction or see how obstacles can help a worm speed through an obstacle course (contrary to what you might expect).
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